Winding device



F. HABOZIT WINDING DEVICE April 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 12, 1966 INVENTOR F orfune Haboz/l BY W/W ATTORNEY April 16, 1968 F. HABOZIT 3,378,213

WINDING DEVICE Filed May 12, 1966' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Fortune Habozi/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,378,213 WINDING DEVICE Fortune Hahozit, Lyon, France, assignor to Cellophane Investment Co. Ltd, Alderney, Channel Islands, Great Britain, a corporation of Great Britain Filed May 12, 19%, Ser. No. -l,6i4 Claims priority, application France, June 3, 1965,

Claims. icl. zen-es The present invention relates to a winding device and more particularly to such a device for winding narrow strips which are obtained by cutting the narrow strips from a wider strip.

In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of narrow strips such as plastic material strips are cut from a wider strip and thereafter the narrow strips are wound into individual coils so that each layer of the film lies evenly upon the coil. Since the narrow strips are cut from very thin films, sometimes only a few microns thick, they must be wound snificiently tight upon the individual coils so that they will have the desired cohesiveness. The coil must neither be too tight nor too loose so that the film wound upon the coil will not be damaged and so that the appearance and mechanical characteristics of the narrow strip of film are not altered in any way.

One Way to wind a plurality of individual coils from st.ips that have been cut from a wide strip of material is to provide means for individually winding each of the cut strips upon a separate head or drum that is in con tact with a central drum so that each individual strip may be wound upon the individual drum or head at a diiierent rate of speed or to permit differential winding of each coil upon its own head or drum. This method of providing means for independently winding each flat coil upon a separate drum after it has been cut from a wider strip of material has the disadvantage that the winding tension of each flat coil upon the individual drum or head is not constant so that the coils are not always wound properly because of a variation in the winding tension or tightening of the ribbon of material as it is wound upon the individual drum.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for winding a plurality of individual narrow strips of material that have been cut from a wide strip of material upon separate heads or drums and at the same time providing means for permitting diiierential winding of each cut strip upon its own head or drum.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for winding a plurality of narrow strips that have been cut from a wider strip of material upon separate drums or heads by differential Winding of each strip of material, while at the same time providing differential or independent winding tension or tightening of each st ip of material upon its own drum or head.

In accordance with the present invention a winding device is provided which comprises a plurality of individual winding head means upon which fiat coils are wound from narrow strips of material that have been cut from a wider strip of material. Each of the Winding head means is mounted on a hinged or pivoted arm. The winding heads are disposed so that they bear against a central drum means so that the narrow strips of material are removed from contact with the central drum means and disposed upon the individual winding drum means.

The pivoting arms which support the Winding head means are maintained in a horizontal position during the winding; these pivoting means permit the coils to be m re easily set in place and to be taken oil.

The winding head drum means are driven by a shaft means and belt and pulley means, with a belt and pulley means for each individual winding head drum means.

3,378,213 l a'lented Apr. 15, 1968 The winding drum head means is maintained in horizontal contact with the central drum means by individual means which cause the winding drum means to be pressed against the central drum means, and by the provision of a pneumatic adjusting system which permits the Contact pressure of the tint coils upon the central drum to be maintained substantially constant.

The present invention provides a constant pressure of the flat coils wound on the individual winding drum means against the central drum means even though the flat coils will inc'ease in weight and diameter during the winding of the coils.

The present invention further provides the individual tensioning of each ilat coil upon its individual winding head drum means to be maintained even though the weight varies, since the winding tension is a function of the constant contact pressure of the flat coil upon the central drum and of the sliding motion of the winding head drum caused by the friction device.

The present invention further provides constant pressure means and sliding means which determine the wind ing tension or tightening of the fiat coil which constant pressure and sliding device means are both adjustable and may be adapted to the particular nature of the material which forms the narrow strips, and which may further be adjusted depending upon the thickness and the width of the narrow strips.

Va'ious other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when. considered in connection with the accompanying drawings formed a part thereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 bodying the FIGURE URE 1;

FIGURE 3 illustrates a detail view on an enlarged scale of the supporting arm means carrying a fiat coil and resting against the central drum and the friction drive means for the fiat coil;

FIGURE 4 is a detail view of a winding head drum means embodied in the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a diagram of the forces which maintain the flat coil on the winding drum head against the central drum means.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral ll) generally designates the winding device of the present invention which is provided with a central drum 12 that is positively driven by means whch are not shown. The strip of material 14 which is a very wide strip of thin film is passed over circular counter cutters 16 and cutters 18 after which the cut strips are placed upon the central drum 12. The strips are driven by the drum 12 at a constant speed and are then individually wound on the winding heads or drums 2d and Ztl disposed on opposite sides of the central drum 12 as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2. The cutter means and the means for winding the cut strips upon the central drum 12 are well known an do not form part of the present invention. Since the wind ing drums 2t and 28 disposed on opposite sides of the central drum l2 and the structure to be described hereinafter are all identical, it is only necessary to describe one of the winding devices disposed on one side of the central drum 12-. However, every other strip is is a diagrammatic view of a device ernprescnt invention;

2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG- H rolled up on the winding head 2-9 disposed on one side of the central drum, and the other one is rolled upon the winding head 2d disposed on the opposite side of the central drum Referring to FIGURE 4, the winding head 2% or 2i) consists of a mandrel block device 22 of well known construction on which fiat coils 24 of him material are wound or formed through winding of the narrow cut strips of material. The mandrel block 22. is formed integral with a grooved pulley 26 with the pulley driving the block device 22. The pulley axle 28 is mounted on a ball-bearing 30 and disposed in a roller member 32 adapted to slide ly move in a groove 34 as best seen in Pl URES 1 and 3. The groove 34 is disposed in the inner end of a hinged supporting arm 3 d and there is provided an individual supporting arm for each of the winding heads. The outer end of the support arm 36 is pivoted on a fixed shaft 38 and during the winding the supporting arm is held in a horizontal position by well known means not shown. A double groove pulley 4-9 is mounted on the fixed shaft 33 and is connected by belt means 42 to a drive pulley 44 disposed therebelow. The pulley 44 is driven by a drive shaft 46 by any well known means not shown. The rotation of the belt drive means 42 rotates or drives the double groove pulley 453 which is disposed on a ball-bearing on the fixed shaft 38. The driving of the double groove pulley 40 causes the winding drum 2% to be driven through a belt member 48 carried by the pulley it} and the Winding head pulley 26. The endless belt 48 is also carried on a fixed idler pulley 5i and a tension pulley or roller 52;. The roller 52 is disposed for slidable movement within a horizontal groove 54 disposed below the groove 34 in the same end of the supporting arm 36 as the groove 34.

The roller 32 which supports the winding head as is operatively connected to a piston 56 adapted to slidably move the roller member 32 in its groove 34 so that the pressure which maintains the fiat coil 24 being wound against the central drum 1?. is adjusted to a predetermined value and is held constant by means of this piston 56 through a pneumatic means generally designated The tension roller 52 is openatively connected to a piston 66 so that it too can be slidably moved within its groove 54,

and is also provided with pneumatic means generally designated 62 of well known construction for actuating the piston 60.

The movement of the roller 32 which supports its winding head, and the movement of the tension roller or pulley 52 in their respective grooves are accomplished by the reciprocal action of the tension of belt 43 and that of the pistons 56 and 60 which are both subjected to air pressure which is held constant by any conventional regulating systems such as 58 and 62.

Shaft 46 which overspeeds with respect to central drum 12, drives the double-pulley 40 through the belt 4 2. The second fixed-length belt 48, actuated by pulley 40, drives the winding head 20 by means of pulley 26. The tension of belt 4-8 is held constant by the action of tension roller 52 which slides in groove 54.

Constant pressure F which is applied on sliding roller 32, is balanced by tensions t and I; of the two ends of belt 48 and by pressure P which presses the fiat coil on the drum. The equilibrium of the forces illustrated in FIGURE 5 may be written as follows:

Except for the friction, the sum t -l-t of the tensions of the ends is force F applied to the tension roller.

F is therefore equal to P-j-F and the resting pressure P is equal to F -F It can be seen, therefore, that it is possible to adjust at will tension P of belt 48 which determines the relative sliding of the flat coil being wound on the one hand, and, by adjusting F it is possible to adjust the resting pressure P of the fiat coil on the drum 12.

Thus, from the foregoing description, it is apparent that the present invention provides a novel winding device for individually and differentially winding narrow strips of film material upon separate rollers which rollers may be driven at different speeds, and which device further pro vides a predetermined constant pressure value for each of the winding head means which are in contact with the central drum means of the device.

Inasmuch as various changes may be made in the location and relative arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is not meant to limit the invention except by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for winding narrow strips of film like material cut from a wider strip of material comprising a central drum, a plurality of separate winding heads disposed alongside said drum, individual friction drive means for each of said winding heads, and adjusting means for individually maintaining each winding head horizontally pressed against said drum at a substantially constant pressure.

2. The device of claim It wherein said device is provided with individual support arms with said winding heads disposed adjacent the ends of said support arms adjacent said central drum, and the opposite ends of said arms are pivotally connected to a fixed shaft and kept in a horizontal position during the winding.

3;. The device of claim 2 wherein said friction drive means includes a double groove drive pulley mounted on each arm opposite said winding head, an idler pulley and a tension pulley mounted adjacent said winding head, said winding head including also a pulley, and an endless drive belt carried by all of said pulleys.

4-. The device of claim 3 wherein each support arm is provided with a horizontal groove, and each winding head pulley is provided with a roller adapted to slide in said groove.

5. The device of claim 4- wherein each support arm is provided with another horizontal groove, and said tension pulley is provided with a roller adapted to slide in said other groove.

5. The device of claim 5 wherein said adjustable means includes a first piston adapted to slidably move said winding head roller in said first mentioned groove.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said adjustable means includes a second piston adapted to slidably move said tension pulley roller in said second groove.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein adjustable pneumatic means are provided to actuate said first and second pistons to move them in a direction to tension said endless drive belt, and to give to this tension its desirable value.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein identical sets of vending heads, friction drive means, and adjusting means are disposed on opposite sides of said central drum.

it The device of claim 8 wherein a single drive shaft with a drive belt is connected to the one groove of each of said double pulleys for driving them.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,934,427 5/1961 Rockstrom 242-65 3,086,726 4/1963 Aaron 242-65 3,198,453 8/1965 Aaron 24265 3,222,004 12/1965 Crowe 24256.9

LEONARD D. CHRISTIAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR WINDING NARROW STRIPS OF FILM LIKE MATERIAL CUT FROM A WIDER STRIP OF MATERIAL COMPRISING A CENTRAL DRUM, A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE WINDING HEADS DISPOSED ALONGSIDE SAID DRUM, INDIVIDUAL FRICTION DRIVE MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID WINDING HEADS, AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY MAINTAINING EACH WINDING HEAD HORIZONTALLY PRESSED AGAINST SAID DRUM AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PRESSURE. 